How Does Your Local Beer Store Sell Rare Beers???

Lots of good ideas here. Limited releases such as BCBS, KBS, etc must be real frustrating for the stores too. They have to answer endless questions about why they can't get more, why they sell it the way they do - and deal with frustrated and pissed customers. It surely brings out the worst in folks, particularly those new to whale hunting. Whale hunters need to understand that store staff are as frustrated as they are, and would prefer to get enough for all of their customers.

 

As the owner, why don't you hold back one bottle and do a monthly bottle share or tasting event for employees?

 

I think this is the best way to handle that "problem", and it works as long as no one (including the employees) abuses the system

 

Actually, the guy who posted that is one of my closest friends. He texted me before he posted that.

 

People are happy if they can get one, I hope he wasn't upset there was one missing from his case.

 

Not at all. He felt lucky to get any. He had planned to buy a case (the limit). He shared it all with friends...I got one bottle. In fact, when it was all said and done, he didn't get a bottle for himself!

 

Good man, good man.

 

I have different options. 1 mainly does based upon total beer sales. Since I spread my money around between shops I usually miss out with them. I can't compete with some of the heavy spenders as I don't want to put all of my eggs in one basket.
Total Wine is new to the area. I don't see any rare beers there and I've been to a couple of their stores a couple of times. Unless I need single bottles of anything (and I can get those elsewhere) I'm not hot to get back there.
Another uses Twitter where you can text back what you want. They have a special Twitter feed you have to pay $10 per month with monthly billing on your credit card for more advanced notice and the uber rare beers. I don't do that.
Honestly I have enough stores within 20 minutes of me that I'm fortunate enough to catch many of the rare ones. Uber rare (Cantillon, things where they might only get a case in) not so much.
I can't complain. We get great distribution and I usually have a few shots at the hard to get beers.

 

I agree with the posts of 'let nature take its course' and do a one bottle per customer, and put some on the shelf. Keep enough back that you can parse it out. Also, too. Why not keep a list of names of those buyers of that case so that particular dick smell doesn't game your shoppe. Or maybe just print up a list of the rare beers of the month and an ask at counter type deal. Keep it to those who know or remember you have the list.

 

I go to one particular small store because of their amazing service.
The way they work is, if the beer geek knows a certain beer is coming out soon, that geek will ask the purveyors to put his or her name on a list.
If and when that beer comes in, the store will hold a bottle and text or call the geek
The rest go on the shelf, and people are alerted through social media.

 

Mine has all 3 Westvleteren on the shelf. 10 euros a pop, mind.

 

You're all doing this the wrong way. You have to make sure the people buying these releases absolutely and unequivocally deserve them. You can't go selling to the wrong people. I think to be able to buy rare releases, you should hit these following criteria:

1) You should spend $100 a week at the store, and have attended at least 2 of the owner's daughter's piano recitals

2) You should not have even looked at a can of Miller Lite in the last 3 years

3) You should be able to find 3 different ways to compliment the cashier's hair style

4) You not only need to subscribed to the store's Instagram account, you need to be subscribed to store owner's cat's Instagram account. That's where he posts the real release info

5) You need to have brought in a whole suckling pig for the staff to eat for the last release


If there are multiple people who fit all of the criteria above, you whittle them down as such-

1) Whoever waited in line at a brewery only release the longest in the past week

OR

2) Whoever sold a rare release on the secondary market for the most exponential markup


Only then are you worthy enough to buy a rare release.

 

I think there are some great suggestions on here so far. But the worst thing you can do to your customers is to make them feel unappreciated.

If someone considers themselves a "regular" because they pop in the shop once a week and buys a six pack with each visit, and then after inquiring about a rare beer is told that you either don't have it, or that it's being held for "regulars" - only to see the store clerk turn around 2 minutes later and sell it to someone else - is a good way to send your other customers out the door permanently. The term "regular" is subjective, and chances are, not every "regular" will be recognized.

One of my favorite stores creates a sign-up sheet (which requires an in store visit) for a rare beer release. The beer is then distributed randomly to those on the list based on the quantity they receive. This way everyone who visits the store can feel like they had a fair shot at an in-demand item.

 

Working for a brewery, I despise our whales (ok, they're amazing beers I love to drink, but the ordeal to get them in stores is horrible). Last year I was in charge of a significantly sized release and I had to allocated by store, by wholesaler and of course only about 75% did the right thing, held to release days, etc. and I got yelled at for the stores who sold the product before the release date, blah blah blah. Whales versus the normal stuff that pays the bills is the perfect example of the 80/20 rule.

I personally would simply suggest putting product on the shelf with a reasonable bottle limit, while it's possible one guy is going to text 20 other buddies to come and clean the store out 1 bottle at a time and give them back to the ring leader, that is by far the exception and not normal or likely behavior. As for employees getting first crack at beer, every job has it's perks. Assuming employees are buying their rare bottles for personal consumption, I have no problem with them getting first crack at things, they are just as much customers as anybody else but they happen to just spend a bunch more time at the store. If they are there when the bottles go on the shelf, boom, it's theirs. There is no reason (like the absurd suggestion above) that employees should have to wait till 6:30p or something so non-employed customers can get a beer before the employed customer does.

 

I really wish I could find the (non-tongue in cheek) post from a couple of years ago in a thread about how best to get hold of limited releases, where the guy was basically this. Would bring treats/beers to the owner/staff, was talking about how he asked after the owner's wife and kids each time. There was something about the owner's dog too. Wild

 

My beer store limits quantities...we just got Creature Comforts's Automatic in today. A sign posted on the display limits buyers to two 6-packs.

 

It's a fun beer world we're living in these days. I'd like to see that post too

 

Retail workers.... dont care about the customers....?? [the scales fall from Respect_For_Saaz's eyes as he realizes the one true secret of retail]

 

I'm not involved with management, I'm just a customer/consumer. But LCBO releases some beer seasonal, and some locations carry less common beers than others

 

Because they work there, while it might not be right to you, employees get limits put on what they can buy as well in most places. I was a beer buyer for a store a few years ago and I always gave my people first dibs. But it was fair and I limited it so my regulars got theirs as well. A reward for an overall job well done. While you don't agree, there is no way for anyone to stop this, people need to stop complaining about it.